Free Literature Review On The Importance Of Being Earnest

Oscar Wilde’s play ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ reveals the hypocrisy that was prevalent in the society at that time. One needs to keep in mind that the title of the play is a take on the bizarre norms of the society. The subtitle previously described it as “a serious play” and the people as trivial, but was later changed by him. This expressed the seriousness of the play in exposing the various faults and errors of the society. The play was aimed to put forth the wrongs that predominated in the Victorian society. However, by referring to the people as “trivial”, the subtitle would have become extremely direct in its attack on the society and the futile norms.
However, through the new subtitle, Wilde tried to affirm that the play is just a mindless, hilarious comic work and has no relation with the serious society. The reader needs to understand the hidden message in Wilde’s play. His sarcastic remarks are idiosyncratic and the apparent simplicity should not be the only interpretation of his work. The play was to be staged in front of the very people he was mocking and criticizing through this play. This required the apt subtlety in the approach. His unparalleled wits, sincere critique of the Victorian society are clear as crystal to every reader. In the garb of ridiculous fun, Wilde criticizes the solemnity, pomposity, complacency, self-righteousness, drabness of the Victorian society. Wilde aptly satirizes the society by inverting the two attributes of seriousness and triviality. He goes on to comment about the absurdity of the values and morals of Victorian society.
The play portrays characters that see the trivial matters as the most serious ones. The name Ernest attains a paramount stature and acts as the foundation of both Cecily and Gwendolen’s love. Gewndolen goes on to express that it had always been her dream to love someone of the name Ernest. Cecily also shows her shallowness for the name Ernest. She pities those women who are married to husbands not with that name. The two ladies are blindly in love with the name, implies the qualities of sincerity and seriousness.
Both Jack and Algernon wish to change their names to Ernest. Everyone fails to understand that the name in itself is a trivial thing. They do not feel that the person should be judged by the strength and qualities of the character and the values of the individual. The name’s triviality is blown out of proportion in the play and it penetrates into the dark alleys of the Victorian society exposing its shallowness and pretentiousness. William Shakespeare had written in the play ‘Romeo and Juliet’, “What’s in a name?” Oscar Wilde’s play stands in stark juxtaposition to this remark and portrays the fetish for just a name. Lady Bracknell is overtly serious about the status and class of any individual. She is symbolic of the many eminent Victorian societal figures who would judge a man by the lineage and dandyism. While Miss Prism is in love with the priest, Dr. Chasuble also upholds religious piety. Both are pedantic in nature and imply their love in metaphors and figures of speech.
Thus, all the major characters portray the importance of various trivial matters. In fact, the characters are reflections of what Wilde experienced in the real society, of which he was also an integral part. In the play ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, he looks beyond the dandy, prim and proper and takes a plunge to explore the inner hollowness of a not-so-perfect society.